Seven Gates of Light

On New Year's Eve every year our household has a "Seven Gates of Light party."  Each room in the house has a small self-reflective activity.  At the sixth gate, our guests write letters to themselves about the questions that they are particularly interested in for the year 2017.  I then mail these letters in the middle of December, 2017.  The seventh gate is soup, bread and conversation.   This year at the fifth gate our guests wrote their responses to two questions on post-it notes that they posted on a large sheet of paper for others to see. 
 
The first question was:  If you were President, what would be on your priority list for your first 100 days?  Early January is the time for looking ahead and thinking about what seeds you want to plant and tend.  Here is a list of some of the things that were of highest importance for our guests.

• Fund creative education endeavors and healing collectives.
• I would give everyone health care and make sure that all Americans had a home.
• Tax top 1% of highest earnings.
• Hear different perspectives and do all I can to lessen suffering, fear, and hate.
• Cut military spending and offer reparations to African Americans.
• Shut down Dakota Access Pipeline, free Leonard Peltier, abolish the Electoral College, stop the "shoot to kill anyone who runs away" police policy, work on climate change, work to end use of fossil fuels, set a national minimum wage of $12.50/hour, increase support for public schools, improve and expand Obama Care and abolish nuclear weapons.
• Universal health care, forgive student loans and establish funded college education.
• Middle east pacification, eliminate ISIS, stop all drone warfare.
• Commit half of Department of Defense budget to clean energy, research and development, and investment in infrastructure re-do.
• Amnesty for all the undocumented.  Close guantanimo prison.
• Revamp congress.  Inspire congress to save this country and the world.
• Teach the US Government to Be Light.  Clean the windshield of graft and corruption and then you will see all the good you could do for the world.
• End the death penalty, disarm, promote peace.
• I would listen to the heart of the world and her people and ask, "Where does it hurt?"

 
The second question was preceded by a quote from Gary Zukov.  Power is energy that is formed by the intentions of the Soul.  It is Light shaped by the intentions of love and compassion guided by wisdom.  It is energy that is focused and directed to fulfillment of the tasks of the Soul upon the Earth, and the development of the personality as a physical instrument of the Soul that is appropriate to those tasks.  The question was: How can you use your power to fulfill the tasks of your soul this year?  Here are a few of the responses.
 

• Honor and lift up others to their potential with empathy, grace, and compassion.
• Love fully, listen fully, show my full self and not let fear stop me.
• I can use my power to volunteer, and to support others in the various groups I belong to.
• Give real hope for the new year.  We have so much power when we unite together.
• Bring love and compassion to those people in my life who need it.
• Focus on goals through God's power.
• I can use my power to teach new skills (art).
• Make my faith visible to others.
• Keep doing what I'm doing.
• Believe in myself.  Rededicate myself to shining and sharing my wisdom.
• Worry less, do more.  Compliment good works and good deeds.
• Stand up for myself.
• I can bring a small light into any darkness.  I can look to the light and remember with each breath.

​I encourage you to think about these questions yourself as part of your preparation for this new year of 2017.